Gummed tape applicator



March 27, 1956 F. w. SMITH 2,739725 GUMMED TAPE APPLI CATOR Filed Feb. 2, 1953 mvl'NTOR FRANCIS MI. SMITH av 7&6.

mmausvs United States Patent'O GUMMED TAPE APPLICATOR Francis W. Smith, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application February 2, 1953, Serial No. 334,417 2 Claims. (Cl. 216-61) This invention relates to a device for cutting gummed tape.

At present, gummed tape, such as cellulose tape, is applied to a great many products in order to indicate the name of the manufacturer or distributor and/or the grade of the product. usually include the trademark of the producer. This type of labelling is normally used on large articles from which it is desirable to remove the tape when. they are ready to be used. For example, labelling tape is used on doors, large plywood panels, and the like. Of course, this applicator may be used with tapes for other purposes.

Prior to this invention, labelling tapes have been applied to the products by hand from ordinary dispensers. These dispensers hold a roll of the tape, from which strips may be drawn outwardly and applied to the article. The dispensers usually includes a cutting edge by means of which each strip may be severed from the roll. The process of applying the strips is cumbersome and takes considerably more time than it should. It has been found that production lines have been held up by this comparative slowness in applying the labelling tape, or too many persons have been employed in applying the tapes in order to keep the production going.

It is the main purpose of this invention to provide an applicator which enables strips of gummed tape to be applied quickly, accurately and conveniently. This device enables one person to apply many times the number of tapes in a given period of time than possible heretofore. The time has been so reduced that experience has shown that where one operator was employed full time doing this work, he can now apply the tapes in batches and do other work in between.

This applicator comprises a pressure plate with a cutter extending across one end thereof, and a finger loop above and secured to the plate. is so positioned that even when the applicator is applied to the operators hand, he can still use the latter in the usual manner to place the tape in position. The pressure plate is then moved over the tape firmly to press it in position, and the strip is severed from the roll when the applicator reaches the end of the strip of tape which is to be left on the article being labelled.

Examples of the tape applicator are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a plan view of a preferred form of the invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof,

Figure 3 is an elevation of the front or cutter end of the applicator,

Figure 4 is an elevation of the opposite end thereof,

Figure 5 is a plan view of an alternative form of applicator,

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the applicator of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a hand with the applicator applied thereto, showing said applicator out of the way so that the hand may be used without interference thereby, and

applying and These tapes actually act as labels and This loop is of such a size and t 2,739,725 Patented Mar. 27, 1956 Figure 8 is a perspective diagrammatic view of a hand holding the applicator on a tapev in, the cut-oil position.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, 10 is a tape applicator having an elongated pressure plate 11 which may be curved upwardly from its bottom 11a; at the back end thereof to form a heel flange 12. A finger loop 15 is secured to and extends over the upper surface of the pressure plate. This finger loop is preferably located adjacent one side of the plate and is of a width considerably less than that of the. plate, as clearly shown in Figure 1. In addition to this, the axis of the loop extends transversely of the plate or, in other words, the loop opens towards the opposite sides of the plate.

One very convenient and desirable Way of forming the finger loop 13 is to bendthe forward end of the pressure plate 11 back on itself to form a support 18 extending transversely of the plate. A portion of this support at one side of the pressure plate extends back over the latter in a substantially semicircular shape to form the finger loop 15. It will be noted from Figure 1 that the width 20 of this loop isconsiderably less than the width 21 of the plate. It is preferable to provide a curved recess 23 in the inner edge of the loop.

A cutter 26 extends across the forward end of the pressure plate 10 and is substantially the same width as the, latter. This cutter preferably has a serrated cutting edge 27 spaced a little above the plate bottom 11a, see Figure 3, and it is connected to the support 18 in any convenient manner. In this example, the cutter is secured to the support above the plate bottom by means of a nut and bolt 28.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate an alternative form of applicator 32. This applicator includes an elongated pressure plate 33 having a bottom 33a, a heel flange 34 at one end, and a cutter 35 at its opposite end. These may be formed from a single piece of material as shown. This plate is curved upwardly from its bottom 33a at 36 transversely thereof, as a result of which the cutter is spaced a little above the plate bottom, see Figure 6. A finger loop 38 is formed by slotting the pressure plate at 39 and 40 adjacent one side of the plate and then pressing the material between these slots upwardly into the curved loop. The width of this loop also is considerably less than the width of the plate, and it opens towards the sides of the latter.

As both forms of the invention are used in the same way, the use of the applicator of Figures 1 to 4 only will now be described in detail.

Figures 7 and 8 diagrammatically illustrate a hand 44 with the applicator 10 applied to the index finger 45 thereof. A strip 48 of gummed tape has been drawn outwardly from a roll 49. Figure 7 shows how the applicator lies out of the way across the back of the fingers so that it does not interfere with the normal use of the hand. Thus, the thumb and index finger of this hand may grip the end of the tape strip to draw it outwardly from the roll and to press said end on to the article being taped at any desired point. The applicator does not interfere with this nor does it interfere with the operators vision when applying the tape to the article. The end of the tape is firmly held in position by the fingers of the hand or by resting the pressure plate 11 of the applicator on it. In either case, the roll is drawn away from the end held in this manner, said roll being allowed to rotate during this movement. When a little more tape than is required for the strip is drawn off the roll, the pressure plate of the applicator is placed on the end of the tape, if this has not already been done, and the applicator moved over the tape towards the roll. In actual practice, the heel flange is usually pressed against the tape, and as the applicator is moved over the latter, the pressure plate is pivoted downwardly on to the tape as it is moved therealong. When the cutting edge of the cutter 26 reaches the end of the desired length of tape, it is only necessary to press the applicator firmly against the tape and to tear the roll away from it by the other hand. In practice, the plate is rolled about the curve formed by the support 18 at its forward end in order to move the cutting edge downwardly against the tape. This action automatically results in pressure being applied to the tape just behind the cutter before the latter comes into contact therewith. With this arrangement, there is no danger of the tape being lifted before the cutter is in place. The tape is cut by the cutting edge. If desired, the applicator may be moved once or twice over the tape in somewhat the same manner as one would iron clothes, but this is usually not necessary. A strip of tape may be applied in this manner in much less time than it takes to describe the operation.

When the index finger 45 is bent so that the pressure plate is moved beneath the knuckles of the hand, the tinger fits nicely into the curved recess 23 of the finger loop 15. This provides comfort for the operator, and it locates the portion of the finger between the knuckle and the hand which is now in a substantially perpendicular position directly over the plate approximately centrally thereof, see Figure 8. This enables the operator to apply a maximum amount of pressure to the tape through the pressure plate by pressing the entire hand downwardly. As a result of this, the main pressure is applied to the centre of the tape even though the finger loop is located at one side of the pressure plate.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An applicator for gummed tape comprising a pres- I sure plate bent back on itself at one end to form a support, a portion of the support at one side of the plate extending back over the latter to form a finger loop, and a cutter secured to the support and extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom and terminating above the plane of the pressure plate, said cutter extending substantially the width of the plate.

2. An applicator for gumrned tape comprising a pressure plate bent back on itself at one end to form a support, a portion of the support at one side of the plate extending back over the latter to form a finger loop, a cutter secured to the support and extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom and terminating above the plane of the pressure plate, said cutter extending substantially the width of the plate, and a heel flange curving upwardly from the end of the plate remote from the cutter extending substantially the width of the plate and forming a pressure strip across said end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gruber Sept. 22, 1942 

